Eddie Joe Williams
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Eddie Joe Williams (born June 26, 1954) is an
American politician In the United States, politics functions within a framework of a constitutional federal democratic republic with a presidential system. The three distinct branches share powers: Congress, which forms the legislative branch, a bicameral legis ...
who served as a member of the
Arkansas Senate The Arkansas State Senate is the upper branch of the Arkansas General Assembly. The Senate consists of 35 members, each representing a district with about 83,000 people. Service in the state legislature is part-time, and many state senators have ...
for the 29th district from 2011 to 2017. During his tenure in the Senate, Williams served as majority leader.


Early life

Williams was born in
Sheridan, Arkansas Sheridan, officially the City of Sheridan, is a city in and the county seat of Grant County, Arkansas, Grant County, Arkansas, United States. The community is located deep in the forests of the Arkansas Timberlands. It sits at the intersection o ...
. He graduated from Sheridan High School in 1972.


Career

Williams served in the
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
and worked for the
Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...
for thirty years. He served on the Cabot Planning Commission and the Cabot City Council before he was elected three times as mayor. He faced a $500,000 deficit when he became mayor of
Cabot, Arkansas Cabot is the largest city in Lonoke County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city was 23,776, and in 2019 the population was an estimated 26,352, ranking it as the state's 19th largest city, behind Jackso ...
. Williams is a member of the
American Legislative Exchange Council The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is a nonprofit organization of conservatism in the United States, conservative state legislature (United States), state legislators and private sector representatives who draft and share Model act, ...
(ALEC), a
conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
non-partisan, non-profit legislative association. He and Arkansas State Auditor Andrea Lea, served at one time as the state co-chairs of the organization. On October 26, 2017, President
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
appointed Williams as his federal representative to the Southern States Energy Board. Since leaving the Senate, Williams has served as senior legislative liaison to Governor
Asa Hutchinson William Asa Hutchinson II (, ''Help:Pronunciation respelling key, AY-sÉ™''; born December 3, 1950) is an American attorney, businessman, and politician who served as the 46th governor of Arkansas from 2015 to 2023. A member of the Republican Part ...
. In September 2021, Williams declared his candidacy for
secretary of state of Arkansas The Arkansas Secretary of State is one of the elected constitutional officers of the U.S. State of Arkansas. The current Secretary of State is Republican Cole Jester who was appointed by Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders after John Thurston be ...
in the 2022 election. In an interview following his candidacy, Williams claimed that he wasn't sure if Biden won the 2020 presidential election, and gave credence to false allegations of voter fraud by claiming that full investigations into voter fraud in swing states might have tilted the election for Biden.


Personal life

Williams and his wife, DeLona, have four daughters and seven grandchildren.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Eddie Joe 1954 births Living people 20th-century American railroad executives Republican Party Arkansas state senators Mayors of places in Arkansas People from Sheridan, Arkansas People from Cabot, Arkansas United States Army officers 21st-century members of the Arkansas General Assembly